BRONCOS GO OFFENSIVE IN THE SECOND ROUND
Broncos, having bucked up defensive line, connect with wide receiver, running back
After adding dominant pass-rusher Bradley Chubb in the first round of the NFL draft, the Denver Broncos primarily bolstered the offensive side of the ball in Friday’s second and third rounds.
The Broncos took surehanded SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton with the 40th overall pick, selected Oregon workhorse running back Royce Freeman at No. 71 and Boston College cornerback Isaac Yiadom at No. 99.
“We got better on the offensive side — no question,” general manager John Elway said. “In kind of some areas that we needed some players.”
The first two selections give the Broncos young weapons to surround new starting quar- terback Case Keenum while complementing veterans such as receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
The Broncos did not add an offensive lineman — a position some prognosticators thought they could hit as early as the first round — and Elway alluded that one of their targets at the position was selected before Denver’s pick. Guards Austin Corbett of Nevada and Will Hernandez of UTEP were the first two selections of Friday’s
second round, and Braden Smith of Auburn went off the board three picks after that.
“We actually thought we had (an offensive lineman), and it didn’t work out that way,” Elway said. “Things happened, and so we didn’t get it.”
So the Broncos instead went with Sutton, who earned a first-round grade from Elway and Co. and whose “ceiling is very high.” The 6-foot-4, 220pound Sutton acknowledges he’s still a bit raw at receiver after arriving at SMU as a safety.
But that defensive mentality has translated to the other side of the ball — in the form of the toughness and body positioning that are helpful in snagging contested balls.
Last season, he caught 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“I am a guy who is going to come to the field and demand respect wherever I am on the field — whether it is in the slot, whether it is on the outside, on the right or the left,” Sutton said during a conference call. “Wherever I am at on the field, if it is a pass play or run play, defenses have to know where I am at, because they know that I am going to do my job.
“I am going to do it above and beyond with what is inside of me.”
And although Sutton said he had “no idea” he was on the Broncos’ radar, he already has a connection to a new teammate. Sanders also played collegiately at SMU and has spoken occasionally to Sutton about how to reach the NFL from a a smaller college football program. Now, Sutton could be expected to immediately compete for Denver’s third receiver spot — behind Thomas and Sanders.
“His skill set translates to being a No. 1 guy,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “He’s got No. 1 traits as a receiver. Obviously, he’ll come in and compete for the third spot, but in the future, he could be our No. 1 guy.”
After releasing 1,000-yard rusher C.J. Anderson this month, Elway expressed confidence last week that his team could snag an impactful ballcarrier in a deep running back class. Freeman, who unleashes a powerful style from his 6foot, 230-pound frame, is the all-time leading rusher for an Oregon program that boasts several prolific ball-carriers in recent seasons. He amassed 1,475 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2017, prompting Elway to call him a “big-banger that we haven’t had for a while.”
“I want to be the one to deliver that blow,” Freeman said on a conference call. “I think, as a running back, that is definitely important. … I feel like I have a chance to go in there and compete with other running backs that are there.”
With the second-to-last pick of the third round, Denver went with Yiadom to help add depth to the secondary after trading Aqib Talib last month. Yiadom, whom the Broncos “really liked” at the Senior Bowl, totaled seven pass breakups, two interceptions and 53 tackles last season and fits the cornerback prototype the Broncos like with a long 6foot-1, 190-pound frame. Elway and Joseph said he will contribute immediately on special teams because of his solid tackling skills.
Barring trades, Denver will wrap up its draft with two fourth-round picks and two fifth-round selections on Saturday.